[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 189 (Monday, October 4, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54736-54737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21497]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; 
Inquiry Form To Facilitate Determining Appropriate Type of Proposal for 
a Prospective Project Submission

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans to 
establish this collection. In accordance with the requirements of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we are providing opportunity for 
public comment on this action. After obtaining and considering public 
comment, NSF will prepare the submission requesting Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) clearance of this collection for no longer 
than 3 years.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by December 3, 
2021 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to address 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 
W18200, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send 
email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week, 365 days a year (including Federal holidays).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title of Collection: Inquiry form to facilitate determining 
appropriate type of proposal for a prospective project submission.
    OMB Number: 3145-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Not applicable.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to establish an 
information collection.
    Abstract: NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide 
(PAPPG) establishes several types of proposal in addition to standard 
research proposals that deviate from NSF's standard proposal 
preparation instructions. Several of these proposal types require 
prospective submitters to first contact an NSF Program Officer with 
expertise germane to the topic to determine whether the prospective 
project is appropriate for consideration under the type of proposal.
    In FY 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a large volume of 
inquiries and requests, more than 6,000 incoming contacts, to support 
research outside of standard research proposal mechanisms, particularly 
RAPID and EAGER proposals. This was the largest and most widespread, 
but not the only, episode of high-profile, high-volume inquiries 
related to these proposal types. High levels of interest are also 
observed after

[[Page 54737]]

major environmental events such as the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, 
the 2014 Ebola outbreak, and the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami. 
NSF's publication of Dear Colleague Letters announcing interest in 
particular topics also generates substantial interest in these proposal 
types.
    In all prior cases, however, prospective submitters' initial 
inquiries have been received into NSF by email and responses are 
handled by individual NSF staff over phone and email. NSF does not 
presently have an infrastructure for systematic collection and tracking 
of inquiries that supports automation of processing and implementation 
of consistent and coordinated responses. To that end, NSF identified an 
opportunity to enhance agency operations through streamlining, 
standardization, and automation by developing a capacity that would 
support the receipt and handling inquiries from prospective submitters.
    In order to increase the agency's capacity, consistency, and 
efficient coordination of handling these inquires, we are asking 
prospective submitters to complete a webform containing the following 
information:
 Project Personnel
    [cir] Name, email address, organization name, NSF ID, and an 
optional Professional URL for one to five members of the project team.
 NSF Target Units
    [cir] Up to three potentially germane NSF units identified by NSF 
Directorate and/or NSF Division and/or NSF Funding Opportunity.
 Research Concept Outline
    [cir] Concept Title.
    [cir] Key Terms.
    [cir] Project Synopsis.
    [cir] Relevance to the requested proposal type.
    [cir] References.
    The submission of this information by webform provides a simplified 
and standard mechanism to direct an inquiry to NSF, ensures the 
submitter includes information relevant to assess appropriateness to 
proposal type, and supports the development of automations for routing 
and responding to inquiries. Not only will the collection enhance the 
efficiency of individual responses, the information provided will 
enable NSF to monitor the overall volume of these inquiries and assess 
trends and resourcing in terms of research topics. Finally, in 
compliance with the Evidence Act of 2019, information collected will be 
used in satisfying congressional requests, responding to queries from 
the public, and NSF's Office of the Inspector General, and supporting 
the agency's policymaking and internal evaluation and assessment needs.
    Information collected will include name of the prospective 
submitters, their affiliated organizations, email addresses, NSF ID, 
and professional website URL. These personal identifiable information 
(PII) are collected primarily to track and disambiguate submissions, 
identify and manage potential conflicts of interest, and allow NSF to 
respond to the submitters. These PII data will be accessed only by the 
submitters, the managing Program Officers, and NSF staff or contractors 
supporting the handling of inquiries or conducting analyses using the 
data as authorized by NSF. Any public reporting of data will be in 
aggregate form, and any personal identifiers will be removed.
    Use of the Information: The information collected is primarily to 
aid the agency in determining the appropriateness of a prospective 
projects for consideration under the proposal type.
    Estimate burden on the public: Estimated at 45 minutes, per 
submission.
    Respondents: Researchers seeking determination of appropriate 
proposal type prior to proposal submission.
    Estimated number of respondents: 1500 per year.
    Average Time per Reporting: 45 minutes.
    Frequency: Open submission.
    Comments: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the Agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Please submit one copy of your comments by only one method. All 
submissions received must include the agency name and collection name 
identified above for this information collection. Commenters are 
strongly encouraged to transmit their comments electronically via 
email. Comments, including any personal information provided become a 
matter of public record. They will be summarized and/or included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the information 
collection request.

    Dated: September 28, 2021.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2021-21497 Filed 10-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-P